NEW DELHI - Addressing concerns about the Taliban taking advantage of foreign troops being withdrawn from Afghanistan, Abdullah Abdullah, chairman of the national reconciliation council, said on Thursday this could happen but it would only be a temporary situation.
He said the Taliban would ultimately not be able to take advantage as “they will not be able to impose their rule upon the people of Afghanistan by force.”
“One group cannot impose its own will upon the nation by using force or violence,” he said.
Addressing an event at the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defense Studies and Analyses (IDSA) in Delhi, Abdullah noted that the gains of the years of democracy will not be lost and Afghanistan will continue to strive for a just and inclusive system ensuring freedoms and rights for all Afghans, including women and minorities.
He also told guests attending the event that his job as the chair of the HCNR was to reconcile contradictory positions and build mutual trust and understanding. He was optimistic that with the goodwill and help of well-meaning friends like India, he would accomplish his task.
He also said Afghanistan will not and should not be a country that harbors terrorists that threaten countries in the region.
When asked about his visit to Islamabad last week and whether India-Pakistan tensions would affect his mission for “regional consensus” for the intra-Afghan negotiations, he said that Afghans would pursue their own “national interest”.
“We need better relations with all countries. It is not our policy to decide the policies that other countries pursue towards each other, but we believe that peace in Afghanistan is in everyone’s interest,” he said, adding that India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi had assured him earlier in the day that his country would support any peace agreement that was agreeable to the people of Afghanistan.
Abdullah said mistakes had been made in the past, even by Afghanistan’s international partners but that there were lessons to be learned through this.
He also stated that he hopes there has been a change in the Taliban’s attitude and said he was optimistic about this but added that only time will tell as to who is committed to the peace process.
Abdullah said he had been “energized and re-energized” by India’s support to the people of Afghanistan “achieving a dignified durable and sustainable peace” and expressed gratitude for the $3 billion aid India has disbursed for projects across Afghanistan since 2001.
Earlier Thursday, Abdullah met with Modi and briefed him on the peace talks process currently underway in Doha.
In a statement issued by India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) after the meeting, Modi’s office said: “Prime Minister Modi reiterated India’s commitment towards sustainable peace and prosperity in Afghanistan and welcomed efforts towards a comprehensive and permanent ceasefire in Afghanistan.” (ATN)